Inklingo

How to Say "to double" in Spanish

English → Spanish

doblar

/doh-BLAHR//doˈblaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'doblar' when you are referring to increasing a quantity or amount by two, often in a physical or numerical sense, like doubling a recipe ingredient or a numerical value.
Two identical red apples sitting next to each other.

Examples

Voy a doblar la receta porque vienen más invitados.

I'm going to double the recipe because more guests are coming.

Queremos doblar las ventas este año.

We want to double sales this year.

Él me dobla la edad.

He is twice my age (He doubles my age).

La población se ha doblado en una década.

The population has doubled in a decade.

Comparing ages

To say someone is twice as old as you, use the pattern '[Subject] me dobla la edad'.

Using 'doble' as a verb

Mistake:Yo quiero doble mi dinero.

Correction: Yo quiero doblar mi dinero.

duplicar

/doo-plee-kar//du.pliˈkaɾ/

verbA2general
Use 'duplicar' when you mean to make something twice as large or twice as much, often in a more abstract or business context, such as doubling profits or doubling a file size.
A row of two red apples next to a row of four red apples.

Examples

La empresa espera duplicar sus ingresos este año.

The company expects to double its revenue this year.

Queremos duplicar las ganancias el próximo año.

We want to double the profits next year.

Si duplicas la cantidad de harina, la masa quedará mejor.

If you double the amount of flour, the dough will turn out better.

La población de la ciudad se ha duplicado en una década.

The city's population has doubled in a decade.

The 'Qu' Spelling Change

When talking about the past (Preterite), the 'c' changes to 'qu' in the 'yo' form (dupliqué). This helps keep the 'k' sound consistent.

Using it with 'se'

You can use 'duplicarse' when something doubles on its own, like 'The price doubled' (El precio se duplicó).

Doblar vs. Duplicar

Mistake:Voy a doblar mi dinero.

Correction: Voy a duplicar mi dinero.

Doblar vs. Duplicar

Learners often confuse 'doblar' and 'duplicar' because both relate to 'two'. Remember that 'doblar' is more common for general increases in quantity, while 'duplicar' often implies a more formal or business-related doubling.

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